Woodson and Social Justice

 On Monday we touched briefly on a child's perception of social justice and the movements around them that are speaking out for change. As a child I was shielded from the ill reality of the world, and coincidentally was lucky enough to grow up with privileges that allowed me to remain ignorant for the entirety of my childhood. I didn't understand much about race beyond what was taught at school, and to my young understanding concepts of racism were historical, moments in the past that we as a society had learned and moved on from. I think that's why (among other things) I still feel so absolutely dumbfounded by some of the asinine and disgusting realities of how social justice works today. The child in me doesn't understand how we haven't moved forward from such beliefs that we so obviously wrong decades ago, even centuries ago, and that there could possibly be people that can support these ideals. I try now to recall the moment that my adolescent self finally understood the reality of the world and I am unable to. I wonder if this reality dawned on me as small raindrops of understanding, or if it was more of a tidal wave that crashed over me. I think probably the latter, and probably for the worst. The jarring and horrifying realities of social justice today is not something that can be digested easily and quickly. It deserves time and explanation in order to be grasped fully and correctly. 

I live off-campus, and remember the feeling of community that came from moving to an area that was shameless in hanging pride flags from their doorways and posting Black Lives Matter signs in their windows and yards. It was not the type of community I grew up in, and it provided me with an extra comfort to know that the people around me had such a level of humanity. It's additionally depressing to think that this baseline of human kindness, seeing individuals as equals despite race or identity, is something that is not a common trait, that as a woman living alone I feel safer knowing my neighbor believes Black Lives Matter and that that knowledge alone makes me believe that she would help me if I needed it. That shouldn't be something that varies, and it certainly shouldn't be something that has such controversial reactions. 

I feel humbled and incredibly grateful to our discussions in class about social justice, because they are present reminders to always be doing better for others and to seek information and knowledge on these important issues. These days, having beliefs of right and wrong is not enough. There must be facts and evidence in order to back these beliefs, and with the wide construct and divisiveness of media resources it is hard to trust the information being put out. I worry incessantly about misinformation and being confounded by someone who can back inhumane beliefs and giving them even brief satisfaction of feeling assured in their psychopathic morals. There has to be more emphasis on educating others. From a young age - as we discussed in class, privileged children should be having these conversations at the same age that children facing discrimination are having them - there has to be more effort to provide children with understanding and information that will allow them to develop their ideas not based on parental or elder influence, but on their understanding of morality and equality. If we are provided with  this as children, it will be pivotal in a new generations ability to reject ideological projections and remain firm in their understanding of what's right. And what's right is equality. It cannot be argued that we don't all deserve to be treated equally and humanly regardless or race or gender or sexuality or religion.